Grown-ish Star Halle Bailey Cast As Ariel In The Little Mermaid

Halle Bailey, known for her role on Freeform's Grown-ish and in the R&B duo Chloe x Halle, will be heading under the sea as Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Bailey shared the news on Twitter, calling the role “a dream come true.”

The film will be directed and produced by Rob Marshall, who’s also worked on Mary Poppins Returns and Into the Woods. “After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role,” Marshall said in a statement.

Alan Menken, who scored the original animated Little Mermaid in 1989, will team up with Lin-Manuel Miranda for the remake’s soundtrack. Miranda will also produce the film, as will Aladdin executive producer Marc Platt. Awkwafina, Melissa McCarthy, and Jacob Tremblay are also in talks to co-star.

Bailey and her older sister, Chloe, first grabbed the public’s eye with a YouTube cover of Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts.” The video, which has now racked up an impressive 16 million views, also impressed Queen Bey herself, who connected with the sisters and featured them in the Lemonade visual album. Chloe x Halle are signed to Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé’s label.

In other remake news, Beyoncé’s Lion King will hit theaters July 19, and Mulan is currently in post-production. Looks like Bailey will definitely be part of a pretty magical world.